A Different Kind of Danger
by SocialistBukharin
Summary: Hermione was ready to face the dangers of a new year at Hogwarts... except this one. Written for the Houses Competition Year 5! Standard One-shot!


When Hermione had decided to resume her education at Hogwarts after the Final Battle against Voldemort, she had expected things to be quite similar to how they have been before she had left for the Horcrux hunt.

It had been one of her hopes to regain the normality that had been shattered by the start of the Second Wizarding War, a way to return to a state of calm that the hunt had deprived from everyone trying to get their education completed at the School of Magic.

The brunette was sure that this wouldn't have been the case, especially with those Slytherin's left having surely swore vengeance against her for having been part of the group that had either killed or got their parents arrested for their war crimes.

Azkaban was possibly going to be filled with new inmates, even though she knew trials in the Wizarding World were peculiar cases of flexible jurisprudence and anything could happen during those sessions.

Hogwarts was going to be more dangerous than before with a determined Slytherin House there to make her life difficult, something that still reminded her the growing crescendo of danger that she had to experience from the first year until now. Hermione wouldn't consider it as something she had mastered over the years, but the girl wouldn't even be shy to say that this wasn't the first time she had to deal with something threatening her life during her studies.

With her mind set with these notions, the brunette began her work as Head Girl of patrolling the Hogwarts Express for any suspicious activities. Her first stop, to avoid any nuisances later on when she was tired from the extended patrolling, was the few compartments that were occupied by members of the House of Green and Silver.

The first one that she entered was mostly made up by young students, guessing that they were in their second or third year at the School of Magic. Two boys and three girls looked at her, eyes partially widening at her presence and she looked for any possible evidence of wrong-doings but nothing caught her attention. This group was safe. Nodding at them and bidding a good day, she closed the door and continued with her patrolling, unaware that this compartment started to whisper furiously about the beautiful young woman that had checked on them and how they were doing.

The second compartment was filled with familiar faces, the first one to catch her attention being Daphne Greengrass. She had been one of the several Slytherin that had joined the battle on the Light side and helped to defend the school's ground against Voldemort. A natural blonde, the girl had decided to adopt short hair after her fifth year, preferring to keep a more comfortable styling than something that helped to annoy her further. It was no secret that the girl detested the attention she would get by the boys within the house, refusing every single offer and gaining the title of 'Ice Queen' of Slytherin.

Blue eyes turned towards Hermione and her lips curled in a small smile, "Ms. Granger."

The brunette felt confusion rising at the amiable formality the girl had assumed, almost frowning at the friendly attitude she was displaying. It was completely different from any of the few previous interactions she had with the girl before the beginning of the school years. "Ms. Greengrass, I hope everything is fine and no one is-"

"W-We are doing well, Ms. Granger." Tracey Davis replied with a little stutter, not daring to meet her eyes up to Hermione's and further confusing the Head Girl. Her mind was trying to find a reason why the small group here looked this… suspicious.

Even the younger of the Greengrass siblings, Astoria, looked quite unwilling to look at her, preferring to kept her eyes fixed on her simple shoes, her cheeks hinting red and…

Were they planning some prank? That could be a good reason why they were behaving this… confusing. Maybe it was an attempt to make her lose her logical footing.

With a curt nod the brunette bid once more a good day and left the compartment, feeling like she had avoided something possibly dangerous. Confusion dimmed down as she went for the third compartment and regretted instantly having picked the zone of the train filled with Slytherin as she recognized almost instantly the blond hair that was of one Draco Malfoy.

The former rival of the Golden Trio had been a sore topic to debate with Harry and Ron, both boys finding it difficult to properly settle down their animosity directed with the Malfoy, especially after the memorable years of fierce hatred that had conditioned their perception of each other.

He glanced her way, a bored look that lacked any malicious intent, nodding with a bare hint of formality before returning to stare out of the window as the train continued to move. She was about to bypass the rest of the group there as she was running very short on time for the brief reunion planned in few minutes from now but voices cut her steps short.

"Ms. Granger, might I say that you look radiant today?"

"Indeed, what can we do for you?"

Hermione frowned at the two boys that had spoken, both sporting small smiles and showing no ill-intent in their faces. Blaise Zabini and Henry Pike were among the Slytherin that ran away from the battle of Hogwarts when the choice was offered to them and, if she had to be honest, they hadn't been part of the minor faction of Death Eaters forming within Slytherin during the Hunt.

Their behaviour, just like the one the girls in the previous compartment had shown, was surprisingly confusing. "Checking for any rule-breaking attitude and-"

"Need some help?"

"We would volunteer."

What? Was this a ploy to get her to lower her guard?

With a sigh, her head gave a negative shake. "This is a job for prefects, Head Boy and Head Girl."

They deflated, looking quite genuinely in their act and further fuelling the girl's paranoia.

"I… I will be going. Have a good day." She went to turn the corner as she closed the compartment, but not before hearing the returning chorus of 'Good Day's from the two boys.

Seriously, what was going on with Slytherin?

Ron Weasley sighed as he enjoyed his 'patrolling' by entertaining a flock of second years with tales of his adventures with Harry and Hermione. While he had diligently gone around the area to look for any dangerous situations, he had decided against going thorough with his investigation and settled with telling some of the stories about the last few years.

He was a hero in the eyes of the younger students and that made him quite happy. He was about to tell them about the Battle in the Department of Mysteries when the door of the compartment was opened by a smiling Dennis Creevey.

While the boy had been as annoying as his brother, Ron had taken dutifully the role of older sibling for the distraught student once the Battle of Hogwarts had come to a conclusion and the two had established quite the strange relationship.

Dennis was close to worship the ground he walked on. Yet he preferred to keep quiet about this by shyly defining him 'one of the greatest heroes ever', which Ron found amusing and heart-warming and would reply by saying that the younger boy was the true hero.

The odd situation that spiralled down to this moment as the amateurish photographer deigned him with a smile as he entered the compartment. "Ron, it's good to see you well!"

He smiled. "Thank you, Dennis, and it's good to see you well too." Pausing a moment the Head Boy blinked. "Is there something you need from me? Any issue with Slytherin?"

"Yes- I mean, no. But it's close and-" Ron lifted his hand up to stop the young boy who was clearly looking incredibly confused about something as he let him rephrase his wording.A sigh or two later, the younger Gryffindor started to speak once more. "Ron, do you know that Slytherins are… behaving strangely about Hermione?"

"Dennis, Slytherins are always weird-"

"B-But they are doing something even _weirder_." Without waiting for a reply, the boy handed to the older student some pictures. "Here, take a look."

Ron frowned at the attitude of the Muggle-Born and decided to give a look at the photos. Few moments of silence passed as he studied each and every image he was presented, trying to find every meaning to the actions that were expressed in the pictures.

One had Tracey Davis and the two Greengrass siblings holding three heart-shaped packages that were usually made to contain Valentine's chocolate pieces. The following one had Blaise Zabini and Pike chatting animatedly as they commented about writing something, something with a small red heart drawn up above the others were similar to those, either with gifts, chocolate treats and letters. Ron didn't need any further prove to confirm his growing suspicion about the House. This was certainly one of the worst scenario ever to happen to him. His girlfriend fancied by the entire House of the Snakes? Preposterous and worrying!

His train of thought was interrupted the moment the door opened once more, this time the very brunette he was thinking about peeking inside with a small glare directed at him. "Ron, we have the reunion with the prefects!"

He blinked in surprise and nodded, the second years groaning at their hero being yanked away by another one of the Golden Trio. Dennis sighed as he gave a quick nod Ron's way as he returned to his compartment.

As the two walked out to the hallway, pacing to reach the Prefects' Compartment, the redhead decided to test his strong suspect with his smarter girlfriend. "'Mione, did you find anything… strange about the Slytherin students?"

She blinked and slowed down a moment. "I… I think I did."

_Oh no._

"Zabini and Pike had been behaving strangely. Same for Greengrass and Davis."

_Ohhh no._

"I think that-"

_Please don't say that they fancy you-_

"They are planning a prank on me!" She finished with a scowl, blissfully unaware at the gobsmacked expression on her boyfriend's face.

Ron blinked once, then twice as he found her theory… oddly not fitting with the pattern he had spotted. Slytherin wouldn't be this coherent for such a prank, especially Daphne Greengrass who would not waste time in 'childish notions' as it may ruin her own reputation for a prank.

Could it be that she had not caught on the hints around her because it was all so blunt and clear? It wouldn't be the first time the smart girl had overlooked minor, but important details because of their simplicity and this could as well be one of those times.

He could still remember Harry's fitting words about this dynamic of the bookworm, "_How can someone as intelligent as Hermione can be so unfathomably dense?"_

Yep, her girlfriend was like that.

Hopefully, she will catch on as he prepared to fend off the 'assault' on his relationship.

**A/N**

**House: Snakes**

**Prompts: [Speech] "How can someone as intelligent as Hermione can be so unfathomably dense?"**

**Class Subject: History of Magic**

**World Count: 1866**

**Standard**


End file.
